Jay Novacek teamed with Allstate Insurance Company to help kick off the 2012 college football season with the Cowboys Classic, which will feature powerhouse programs Michigan and Alabama on September 1 at Cowboys Stadium.

(Yeah. That is just a few hours from now. Getcha popcorn ready.)

As part of the Allstate Tailgate Tour, Novacek will do a meet and greet with fans from 4—5pm and will be on the field for the Allstate-sponsored 60 seconds of Mayhem during halftime.

But first, he talked to Yours Truly on the telephone. And, yes, we captured the whole thing on tape! (As you might expect, Novacek was relaxed, forthcoming, gentlemanly…and opinionated.

Jay Novacek played six years for the Dallas Cowboys. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1985 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. Three years into his career, the Cardinals moved to Phoenix, where they continued to play mediocre football. Novacek was anything but mediocre and he was destined to play on anything but a mediocre team, when in 1990, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys.

Novacek’s Cowboys would commence an unprecedented assault on the NFL postseason, ultimately winning three Super Bowls in four years. They were the first team to do that. In six seasons in Dallas, Novacek would be named to five Pro Bowls and would be named NFL All-Pro at his tight end position once. He would become one of the favorite targets of Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman—and a fan favorite, too.

Novacek was a cowboy’s Cowboy. He played for the Wyoming Cowboys in college and the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL…and nothing could have been more appropriate. When he was sporting a football helmet, Novacek wore a stetson. He was bow-legged, raw-boned, down-home tough with that quiet cowboy spirit and disarming smile.

He was also a heck of a football player.

In our conversation, Novacek talked about what it means to be a Dallas Cowboy. He talked about the Super Bowl years. He sounded off on Tony Romo, Jason Garrett and Jason Witten.

And…he answered the burning question, “Who is the most cowboy Cowboy of all time?”